Losing Your Memory
by Kaasuten
Summary: When people talked about the end they always made statements about white lights and your life flashing before your eyes… But as Kagome Higurashi fell, all she could see was him.
1. Chapter 1

_**Chapter One:**_ Call all your friends and tell them I'm never coming back

She was spiraling, falling, catapulting through the darkness. It seemed like time itself had stopped, or at least slowed to such a pace that she could see each droplet of rain as it fell around her, each piece of long silver hair as it was blown in the wind. He was whirling towards her now, recognizing the agonizing scream of her greatest friend as the Demon Slayer tried to reach for her. But they were all too far away and no one could save her now.

When people talked about _the end_ they always made statements about white lights and your life flashing before your eyes… But as Kagome Higurashi fell, all she could see was _him._ His warm amber eyes bore into her soul, filled with dread and fear and a raw terror she had never seen upon his face. There would be no way for him to cross the cavern in time to catch her. She was falling too fast, too far and from too high a height. As her slow motion fall continued, she came to terms with the fate that presented to her… Kagome was falling to her death.

His roar echoed in the silence and surprisingly it filled her heart with an elated sense of love. Even in these final seconds that seemed to pass like years. Even as the unforgiving rocks grew closer and closer, Kagome could only hear his frantic cries. She could only interpret them as shows of how deep his love for her really was. He would mourn her loss, but his pain was a symbol of how greatly they had loved each other despite the bickering and the fights.

Kagome Higurashi loved Inuyasha with a ferocity she had never felt before. As death approached her she felt no regret, no pain, no suffering. Just the fierce love that had burrowed into her heart the moment she had freed him from the Sacred Tree. They ran in circles around each other, as star-crossed lovers. No matter how many times she was reborn, he was destined to watch her fall. That was the only part of her immanent death that bothered her at all; Inuyasha was tortured to watch the spirit of Kikyo die over and over again. He would love so greatly and lose so much. If they were lucky, her spirit would find its way back to him again.

"I love you." She breathed, her eyes filling with tears, refusing to rip her gaze away from his… As her body collided with the unforgiving earth with a sickening crack.

* * *

 _ **Inuyasha**_

* * *

Sango's screaming echoed deep within his chest. The demon slayers scream ripped to his core, slicing at any sense of bravery he had held so tightly to. Time seemed to slow around him as his body turned, his eyes scanning the deep purple sky that had been stained by the setting sun. There, too far above the ground, catapulted the body of the raven haired girl who held his whole world in the palm of her hand.

It didn't take long for him to understand what had happened; a particularly strong demon had knocked her from Kirara's back and there was no one even remotely close to her. No one would be able to save her from the unforgiving ground she was spiraling towards. But he would be damned if he didn't try.

His feet ached, pounding against the cold ground as he sprinted faster than he had ever run before. He was not going to let her die. He had promised her mother that he would keep her safe and that he would not let anything happen to the girl who had given him back the life he had lost fifty years before. His very existence rested in her heart and he knew he would be nothing without her. He wasn't sure when the tears had started pouring down his face or when his heart had finally accepted that he wouldn't make it in time… but he knew that everything he had once been disappeared the moment her declaration of love fell from her lips.

The sickening crack of her bones would haunt him for the rest of his life.

* * *

 ** _Author's Notes:_** So I know this is really short but this is just a short introduction chapter. The rest of the chapters are going to be much longer. Let me know if you've enjoyed this and I'll keep updating.

As always; all my love.

Kaas


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter Two:**_ This is the End

The lights were too bright. All he could focus on was the headache inducing glow from the bright florescent lights. They almost seemed to monopolize the stark white ceiling above him, covering the waiting room with an eerie glow. The modern era had always given him a weird twisting feeling in the pit of his stomach, like his body was physically reminding him that this was not his time and that he did not belong there. He could smell the sick and decay seeping through the walls and suffocating him, a constant reminder that things were never going to be the same again.

He could feel the gentle strokes of a woman's thumb across the back of his hand, but he paid little notice to the sniffling woman. He merely rested his arm upon the hand rest so that she could take solace in his company. Again and again he reminded himself that this was where they needed to be, this was the best place for her to be at the end of it all.

Mrs. Higurashi had been doing a good job of holding herself together given the circumstances. When he had first carried Kagome out of the well house and into the courtyard of the shrine, Mrs. Higurashi had been unable to contain her fear. She collapsed to her knees at the sight of her daughter's mangled and bloody body and the screaming had begun. The sound had been so loud and piercing that Inuyasha 's ears had pressed flush against his head and had not released themselves since. She had pulled herself together eventually, the epitome of all things Kagome had always been; strength, beauty and bravery. As he looked at her now, adverting his gaze from the blinding florescent light, he was struck with the very real possibility that Kagome would never reach her mother's age.

He could imagine Kagome in her forties, hair in a short bob like her mothers, eyes worn from laughter and kindness. She would hold herself high, bouncing from place to place as she performed her daily duties. He could see Shippo tangled around her legs as she cooked dinner, playing with his spinning top or practicing with his fox fire. He could see Kagome, leaning over to taste a stew, with a silver haired baby on her hip. The very thought almost made him break down and cry because the fact of the matter remained; Kagome would never mother children, never swell and glow in childbirth. She would never get married, never do all of the things she had told him she wanted to do with her life…

And he felt responsible.

How many times in their journey together had she carelessly thrown herself from immeasurable heights expecting him to catch her? How many times had he been there for her? How deeply had she trusted him? She always seemed to just know that he would be there, waiting for her, when she needed him. She always trusted in his strength and speed. He could still remember the feel of her soft warm body as she collided with him for the first time. He could remember spinning her around to slow her momentum and the way her scent had seemed to engulf him completely as he placed her gently down upon her feet.

Without thinking, he leaned closer to the hysterical woman and wrapped his arms around her slender frame. Her father and her son had left the hospital hours ago to tend to the Shrine and to get some sleep before what they thought would be switching shifts. Little did they know that neither Inuyasha nor Mrs. Higurashi would be leaving the hospital until Kagome was healed.

"I'm so sorry you have to go through all of this." Mrs. Higurashi soothed, seeming to melt into Inuyasha's embrace as she allowed some of her worry and panic to wash off of her. "I know how much she means to you."

Inuyasha merely blushed. He had never been good with words and he had never been able to lie to Mrs. Higurashi. She could see right through him.

"She's going to be okay." She continued on, pulling back from his hug and resting her head upon his shoulder. "She's a fighter, after all."

Inuyasha wished he shared her optimism. Kagome had looked terrible when he brought her bleeding into the Shrine. It was obvious that she had multiple broken bones and her breathing was labored as if something heavy was pushing against her chest. There had even been a few times on their journey from the sight of the accident to the well house where Inuyasha had sworn Kagome's heart had stopped altogether. He wished he could believe that Kagome was going to be fine, but he had seen her body hit the jagged rocks. He had heard the crack of her bones. He didn't know how any human could survive that.

"Do you want to hear a story?" Mrs. Higurashi asked, lifting her head and offering him a smile. "It's probably one that Kagome would kill me for telling you, but I think it might cheer you up a bit."

Inuyasha only nodded.

"A few months ago, she came home to take a test. She spent days up in her room studying for this math test, stressing herself out and honestly starting to doubt her own abilities. You see, every mother will claim their children are smart and beautiful, but in Kagome's case it really is true. She is so incredibly smart but I think the time in the Feudal Era has really made her start doubting herself."

"Didn't you say this was supposed to cheer me up?" Inuyasha asked gruffly, crossing his arms over his chest as he sank further into his chair. He already was aware of how Kagome was struggling to help him find the Sacred Jewel. He knew that she was desperate to get back to the normal routine of the life she had left behind. While he knew she was going to miss the life she would give up in the Feudal Era, he had never held much hope that she would make the choice to stay in the past.

"I'm getting to the good part, dear." Mrs. Higurashi smiled, brushing a few stray tears from her cheeks. "I remember her practically falling into a chair in the kitchen, her head resting on the table and that beautiful hair of hers falling all around her. She looked so exhausted. From underneath all that hair, she whispered something. Something I think I knew for a while but had never really accepted… Do you know what she said?"

Inuyasha shook his head.

"She said she wanted to go home."

Inuyasha blinked back his confusion, his brow furrowing as he tried to make sense of the story Mrs. Higurashi was telling.

"So I sat down with her for a long while and we just talked. We talked about school and the obligations she had in our time and we talked about the life she so deeply cherishes in the past. When it finally all made sense to me I asked her what she planned to do with the rest of her life. As a child she always used to tell me she wanted to be fantastical things. She wanted to be a firefighter; she wanted to be a lion tamer, a doctor, a wizard." She stopped and laughed a little, shaking her head at the memory of a small Kagome and all her wonderful dreams. "She was quiet for a long, long time before she finally lifted those sad puppy eyes of her and asked if I would hate her forever… because she wanted the rest of her life to be one thing."

Inuyasha waited. He waited for her to finish her story, but Mrs. Higurashi just smiled at him knowingly. "What's the one thing?" He finally asked.

"You."

Again his brow furrowed in confusion as he turned the word over in his mind. "Me?"

Mrs. Higurashi nodded. "Kagome doesn't want to live in the modern era. She wants to go back to the Feudal Era with you."

"With… me?" Suddenly he could see it again, Kagome standing by a stew pot in a small hut with a silver haired baby upon her hip. He could see the laugh lines and her smile and could practically feel her scent washing over him.

Mrs. Higurashi only smiled, reaching up to brush his bangs from his face. "You mean the world to here. Don't tell me it took all this," she gestured around the hospital waiting room. "For you to actually realize that?"

Honestly, it hadn't. Inuyasha had known for quite some time just how desperately he needed Kagome in his life. He had tried to stay true to the part of him that had once loved Kikyo, tried to push her to the recesses of his heart so he could stay loyal to his first love… but Kagome was his _great_ love. He knew just how deeply she had written herself into his being, but love was power and the power Kagome held over him was terrifying. He had let Kikyo die, his very love had strangled the last breath of life from the priestess. While it may have been Naraku who issued the final blow, it was Inuyasha's love that had put the nail in the coffin.

"Do you really think she's going to be okay?" He asked, his warm amber eyes wide with fear and years of heartbreak. He had spent his whole life running from the people who had ostracized him and hurt him. He couldn't let go of the only person who had ever fully accepted him for who he was.

"She's a fighter, remember?" Mrs. Higurashi smiled. "Now, the real question is… what do you plan on doing with the rest of your life?"

He was quiet for a long while, eyes glued to the face of the woman before him. He knew what he wanted, but fear still held him back from going after it with a hopeless abandon. "I want,"

"Higurashi?"

Mrs. Higurashi had lost all interest in the love affair of the hanyou boy beside her, jumping to her feet as the tall slender doctor crossed the waiting room to greet them. "How is she?"

The doctor was tall and thin, her hair tied back in a ribbon with short bangs framing the top of her face. Her eyes were kind and compassionate, but Inuyasha had gotten used to the look of pity throughout his years. As he sided up to Mrs. Higurashi, he could tell that the news the doctor was about to deliver would not be good news. "Kagome is responding well to our treatment."

Mrs. Higurashi breathed out a loud sigh of relief that almost sounded like a laugh, clutching at her chest as she slumped slightly. "Thank goodness."

"It's not all good news though, is it?" Inuyasha asked, placing a hand on Mrs. Higurashi's back.

"I'm afraid not." The doctor frowned. "Kagome had multiple broken bones. The ones who worried us the most were a few ribs that punctured her left lung and a pelvic bone. If Kagome wakes up, she will have a long road of recovery learning to walk again."

"If?" Inuyasha asked, feeling the blood run cold in his veins.

"We're facing a bigger problem than broken bones." The doctor explained, keeping eye contact with Inuyasha through every word she spoke. "It seems that Kagome's head took the brunt of the fall and there is quite a lot of swelling in her brain. Right now, she's in a coma."

"A what?" the Hanyou boy asked.

"A coma. Her brain has, essentially, told her body it needs sleep to recover from her injuries. It's completely up to Kagome now when, and if, she wakes up." The doctor reached out and placed a comforting hand upon his arm. "I know things seem bleak. But I'm a firm believer that our coma patients can hear their visitors. So why don't I take you both back? You can sit with her for a while, talk to her. Maybe the two most important people in her life can convince her to wake up."

XXX XXX

By the time the doctors and nurses left the room, Mrs. Higurashi was fast asleep, curled up in a chair on the opposite side of Kagome's bed. Her hands tightly gripped Kagome's and she was snoring slightly. It brought Inuyasha some semblance of comfort to know that she had finally given in and was taking care of her own needs.

It also gave him the opportunity to take the doctors advice.

Reaching out, he gently took Kagome's free hand in his. Part of him had been expecting her to be cold to the touch, but she still held her normal warmth regardless of the pale color to her skin. Her scent was muted by the medication they were running into her system, IV's as her mother had explained to him, but all that really mattered was the sound of her heartbeat.

He listened to its careful drum, closing his eyes and focusing on each and every beat.

 _Ba-bum._

 _Ba-ba-bum._

 _Ba-ba-bum._

 _Ba-bum._

"You've got to wake up." He spoke, his voice steady despite the heartache that was settling over him. "I don't… I don't know who I am without you, Kagome. I don't… I don't think I could ever forgive myself for all of this if you… if you…" He trailed off, his head falling in defeat as his bangs hid his eyes from view. "This is my fault. I never should have let you take the risk. You never should have been within miles of that fight. You trusted me and I let you down. So you have to wake up. You have to wake up so I can spend the rest of my life trying to make this up to you. So that I can show you just how safe I can keep you. We have to get the Sacred Jewel and save the world. We have to go to Sango and Miroku's wedding. We have to rub how close we are in Koga's face."

He knew he was rambling now, but he didn't care. Never before had he been so scared. He felt like he was standing on a precipice ready to fall. "You have to learn everything Kaede and Jinenji have to teach you. You have to be there for Shippo as he learns to control his fox magic." He was crying now, silent tears cascading down his strong cheeks. "You have to be with me."

For a long while he sat there, shoulders shaking beneath the weight of his sobs. "I want you. I want the rest of my life to be you, too."

A soft pressure applied beneath his chin, lifting his face. Fingertips grazed against his jawline as his eyes rose to meet the warm gaze of the girl he cherished most. "Why are you crying?" She asked, her head tilting to the side slightly in confusion.

He blinked back the tears, confusion filtering away as he realized she was not only awake, but she seemed to be okay. "Kagome?"

She smiled slightly, the confusion still written across her face. "That's me..."

He had her in his arms before she could react. Gently he cradled her to his chest, careful of the injuries he knew she had sustained. All he cared about was those warm eyes, their rich color seeming to pierce his soul. How desperately he had feared he would never see those kind eyes again. "I'm so glad you're okay." He breathed, his lips against her ear as he inhaled her scent. Even infected by the medications, she still smelled like hope. "You are okay, right?" He asked, refusing to let her go.

"I hurt a little." She admitted after a long silence, her body rigid in his grasp. Slowly she lifted her palms, placing both softly against his chest. With the smallest amount of pressure, she pushed him back. Still, giving her the space she wanted, he kept his hands firmly on her upper arms. He needed to reassure himself that this was real.

"What's wrong?" He asked, rubbing his hands gently upon her arms.

"I don't want to be rude..." She whispered, dropping her gaze to her hands folded in her lap.

"What's wrong?" He repeated again, his voice a bit more stern.

"Well..." And with three small worlds she brought his world crashing down again. "Who are you?"

* * *

 _ **Author's Notes:**_ Annnnd there it is. Seriously guys, you should know my stories are never fluffy.

Let me know what you think! The title makes a bit more sense now, yes? Originally I had planned to make this SUPER dark. I was going to kill off Kagome and make this about Inuyasha slowly realizing he cant remember her anymore. BUT I found myself getting really depressed when writing it and that's no bueno. So I changed it up and now we have this baby.

Amnesia is not a pretty thing.

I just want to warn you that this is going to get worse before it gets better.

HOWEVER. You still have all my love.

And I promise if you stick with me through the heartache and the pain... I always give you what you want at the end.

Kaas


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter Three;**_ Pretend that you want it

xxX Three Months Later Xxx

"Good afternoon, Inuyasha!" Kagome beamed happily, her smile spreading clear across her face as she all but skipped across the distance between them. Her hands were clasped behind her back, her slender frame clad in a pale pink dress that hugged her curves and flowed around her knees in the gentle late August breeze. There had been a point in time where seeing her smile like that would have caused his heart to flutter… not anymore.

He forced a shadow of a smile and adjusted the package he was carrying to his other shoulder. "Morning," He grunted in response, nodding his head in the direction of the shrine house. "Is he already back there?"

"Mmhmm." She smirked knowingly. "You're late today and he's not exactly pleased but I'm sure if you work hard he'll forgive you."

 _He'll have to._ Inuyasha thought with an inward sigh. He had spent all night in the Feudal Era fighting demons with their friends and chasing down the remaining shards of the Sacred Jewel. Her grandfather was very well versed in the activities that Inuyasha took part in during his nights and, though he put on a show in front of his granddaughter, was often forgiving when Inuyasha was late for his daily duties. "Cleaning again?" He asked, desperate to change the subject as soon as possible.

She shook her head, her dark hair bouncing around her porcelain face. "Sutras today I think."

"I better get to work then." He grunted, again shifting the package back to its original shoulder before he began the short walk from the steps to the shrine house.

"Inuyasha?" She called after him, reaching out and grasping onto one of the sleeves of his t-shirt to stop him from leaving.

His heart stopped, the feeling of her warm hand where it grazed his arm sending electrical shocks through his body. _Please._ He willed, hoping this would be the moment he had waited months for. "Yes?" He tried to reign in his hope, tried to keep his expectations down, but every time she said his name or reached out to touch him he could feel it all rushing back.

"Never mind." She chuckled nervously, shaking her head. _Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!_ She chastised herself. _He's just going to think you're a stupid girl._ "Grandpa's waiting for you." Without another word she turned on the heels of her penny loafers and disappeared inside her home.

He released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding, dropping the box to his feet, the shattering of the vases inside echoed around the courtyard causing the small old man to peek his head out of the shrine house. "You broke them!" He yelled, lifting a broom over his head as he ran across the courtyard. It was obvious to anyone who watched that he was seeking to strike the boy over the head with the broom, but his movements were cut short.

Something was hidden deep in the boy's eyes, a sadness he had never seen before. "Still nothing?" The old man asked, lowering the broom, his own shoulders sagging.

"Nothing." Inuyasha confirmed with his gaze downcast.

Every day for the last three months Inuyasha had been traveling back through the well to Kagome's time. He would put on clothes that Mrs. Higurashi had bought for him and he would pretend to be the shrine hand hired by her grandfather. He would do menial chores that allowed him to stay as close to Kagome as possible. On the days she went to school he would follow behind her, sitting outside her classroom window. It was pathetic, really, how desperate he was to hear her laugh or catch a glimpse of her smile. So much had changed in just a few months and he would hold onto those moments for as long as he could… as long as it took to get _his_ Kagome back.

It hadn't taken long after she woke for the doctors to determine exactly what was wrong with the small girl. The fall had caused significant swelling in her brain and the pressure had caused too much stress. Essentially, every single moment she had spent with Inuyasha in the Feudal Era had been erased from her mind. Upon waking, she was fourteen again. She had never fallen through the well, never freed him from the Sacred Tree and had never fallen in love with him at all.

To Kagome Higurashi, Inuyasha did not exist.

xxX On The Day She Woke Xxx

 _Who are you?_

Her words hung heavy over the hanyou boy, his very world seeming to screech to a stop. "Wait. What?" His ears flattened back against his head beneath the cap her mother had made him wear, his heart all but shriveling up in his chest. Who was he? What could she possibly mean by that?

"It's me? Inuyasha."

She shook her head, her brow furrowing in confusion. "I'm sorry. I don't know who you are."

"I'm Inuyasha." He breathed, barely a whisper. He wasn't sure what he had been expecting, but for her not to remember him at all was the closest thing to his worst nightmare. Was this how their fate was written? After everything they had been through, after almost losing her, she would never remember any of the time they had spent together?

Again she shook her head. "Do we go to school together?" She asked. "Or maybe one of the after school clubs?"

Inuyasha could feel his blood turn cold in his veins. "You really don't remember me? We've been practically inseparable for the last year…" He heard the door open behind him and caught the scent of Mrs. Higurashi and the kind doctor who had been working with Kagome since her arrival into the hospital. He paid them no mind, keeping his wounded amber eyes trained on the girl before him.

Her brow furrowed. It was obvious she was digging deep, trying to find any recollection of the silver haired boy before her. "I'm sorry." She finally whispered, her eyes dropping to the hands folded neatly in her lap.

"I…" But his words were cut short by a soft and reassuring hand placed gently upon his shoulder.

"This is Inuyasha, darling. He's the shrine hand grandpa hired last year. Don't you remember? You two have been working really closely for a long while." Mrs. Higurashi explained, giving Inuyasha a rather pointed look.

His brow furrowed, trying to follow along with what she was saying. Shrine hand, like Rin had become for Kaede. That meant he worked side by side with her grandfather.

"Isn't that right, Inuyasha?" Mrs. Higurashi prodded.

The boy only nodded.

"What happened to me, Mama?"

xxX The Present Xxx

"Are you sure you're okay?" Mrs Higurashi asked, releasing the hanyou boy from a long and comforting embrace. "You could always stay here."

Inuyasha shook his head. "I have to go back. I have to help Sango and Miroku."

"Still searching for the Sacred Jewel?" He nodded. "Do you really think making a wish could bring Kagome's memories back?"

Inuyasha shrugged listlessly. "Who knows. But it's the only plan we have right now and I have to do _something._ "

The elder woman smiled sadly. "I think a part of me always knew you loved her… But I don't think I ever really knew how much."

"She's everything." He didn't need any other explanation than that. Kagome was his everything, she had centered his world in a way that no one else could have ever hoped to do. "I need to get her back."

Again Mrs. Higurashi leaned in, hugging the boy a bit tighter this time. "Go then. Bring our girl back."

Removing the cap that kept his fluffy white ears hidden, Inuyasha lifted himself to the lip of the well and disappeared in a flash of blue light.

Neither aware of a pair of prying eyes.

xxX The Feudal Era Xxx

Inuyasha could not change fast enough.

While he was grateful for the clothes Mrs. Higurashi had provided him with, there was something unpleasant about the restriction of the fabric she called denim. Every time he traveled into the future he was desperate for the soft and comforting fur of the fire rat. Once he had changed, he began the slow trek back to Kaede's village.

Kagome's scent still lingered upon his skin almost as if she were walking beside him.

Every so often a villager would call out a greeting, but most kept to themselves. They had all come to understand that Inuyasha was perpetually stuck in a state of agitation and it was best to leave him be. There was not a soul in the village who did not grieve for Kagome and hopefully await her return.

"Welcome back," Miroku smiled sadly as Inuyasha entered the hut their rag tag group shared. They had all agreed not to settle down anywhere with permanence until they found a way to bring Kagome back and so they all stayed together.

"I'm home." He acknowledged gruffly, collapsing to the floor next to Sango and Shippo. "Any news?"

"No new shards." Sango frowned, dishing Inuyasha out a bowl of the stew Kaede had made for them all. "How is she?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "Still nothing."

Sango placed a comforting hand upon her shoulder. "She'll come around."

Shippo let out a startled squeak, all eyes turning to the doorway where the small raven hair girl stood with wide frightened eyes.

It was Inuyasha who spoke first. "Kagome?"

xxX The Present Xxx

 _He disappeared!_ Her heart hammered in her chest, her eyes wide as she hid behind the well house and watched her mother head back into their home. Something had felt strange about the shrine boy since the moment she had met him. He felt strange and familiar and mysterious and she was determined to find out the secrets behind him.

Once her mother was back inside, she snuck into the well house and chanced a peek into the dark well. "Where did he go?" She breathed, a rush of electricity seeming to pass through her as soon as her fingers grazed across the rough wood of the well. It gave her the same feeling deep in her chest as when her fingers grazed Inuyasha's warm skin; familiar and mysterious.

Something was pulling her, she had made no conscious decision to move but she was sitting on the edge of the well now, her legs dangling into the dark. Pushing her hands against the edge of her skirt she weighed the different options. If she was wrong, she fell and broke her legs. Who knew the damage that would do? If she was right… who knew what waited for her. After all… Inuyasha never left the well house. He had to have gone somewhere.

She was leaning now, hanging further and further over the edge until finally she pushed. She placed her hands flat against the fabric at her knees and tumbled into the darkness. The feeling of falling gave way to the sensation of floating, a bright blue light surrounding her as she seemed to sink. It felt like diving into a pool, the calming water surrounding and holding her, pulling her in all different directions until her feet landed upon the ground.

 _Strange…_ Lifting her head, she was greeted with the soft colors of the setting sun, her view no longer eclipsed by the roof of the well house. _Where am I?_ Slowly she reached up, grasping onto a vine and pulling herself upwards. Silently she made her way out of the well and was greeted with all the wonder of the Feudal Era.

The air smelled crisp and clean, the sky unpolluted by Tokyo's artificial lighting. She could see forest for miles and rolling hills leading down to a collection of brown huts with smoke rising from their chimneys. But what pleased her the most was Goshinboku. It stood tall and proud, reaching towards the sky with vibrant green leaves and stark brown branches. It looked so much younger than the tree she remembered, but still felt just as powerful.

"Where am I?" She breathed in a whisper, her fingers tracing over the familiar bark. The stark red fabric and silver hair caught her eye as he emerged from the woods a hundred yards away. She immediately knew it was Inuyasha, dressed in a flowing Kimono with his shoulders slumped.

Something pulled at her heart again, urging her to follow him. And follow him she did.

Step for step she matched him, staying far enough back to not be detected as she watched him wander. She was incredibly grateful for the cover of the setting sun for as the sun dipped below the horizon, she was able to hide between the houses and avoid the gazes of the strangely dressed people.

This had to be a dream. She had to have fallen and reinjured herself. She had to be suffering another episode. There was no way she had passed through her family well into the woods. There was no way she had found her way to what she assumed was some medieval revival. Things like this just didn't happen in Tokyo.

She watched the shrine boy enter one of the huts and listened to the voices. She stood outside the bamboo door, listening as her heart lurched at every familiar voice. It was like a word at the tip of her tongue. She knew these people, she just didn't know them. They were lost, like the shrine boy and the two years between her last memory and her accident.

Slowly she reached out, her hand shaking as she pushed back the hanging door and stepped into the warmth. Her eyes flickered around the room to the fire in the center, the shrine boy with ears atop his head, the beautiful woman at his side, the strange priest and the half squirrel half human boy who stared at her like he had seen a ghost.

For a moment they looked at each other, before the squirrel boy gave a startled yelp and all eyes swung in her direction.

Her eyes locked in on warm amber, that same familiar lurch of her heart aching inside her. She knew this place.

"Kagome?" He breathed, rising to his feet slowly. Every move seemed calculated, like he was afraid to startle her away.

She held his gaze.

"You're back!" The squirrel boy cried, launching himself across the room to scurry up her leg and perch upon her shoulder. He nuzzled his face against hers, causing her body to physically react. Instinctively she wrapped herself around him, cuddling him to her like a puppy.

"What is going on?" She finally gathered herself enough to ask.

"You should probably sit down, lady Kagome." Miroku finally spoke, sharing a sad glance with the demon slayer at his side. "There is a lot to discuss."

* * *

 ** _Author's Note:_** There's a lot going on. Kagome has found her way down the well. She still doesn't have any of her memories. I cannot wait to share with you my next couple of ideas. It's going to get good! :)

All my love; Kaas


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter Four;**_

"You were barely fifteen years when you first discovered the magic of the Bone Eaters Well."

Kagome sat; her legs tucked beneath her and her hands resting delicately in her lap as she listened to the Monk begin his tale. No one had bothered to introduce themselves, no pleasantries had been shared. Instead, she had been ushered towards a ledge near a fire burning crudely in the center of the hut and the small boy with the bushel of a tail had been whisked out of her arms much to his displeasure. The small boy now curled around Inuyasha's shoulder who she noted was wearing an old fashioned red kimono that rather suited him in an odd way. She had never noticed before how wrong it looked when he dressed in jeans and the ball cap he wore every day. He always seemed so uncomfortable. Uncomfortable still as he leaned against the door frame staring at her only to quickly advert his gaze any time she would look in his direction. A tall woman with dark hair and soulful eyes seemed to be hovering around her, unsure where to seat herself or what she should say. It was the Monk alone who seemed to hold his composure.

"Have you heard of the Sacred Jewel?" He asked.

She'd spent all of her life hearing fantastical stories about the history of the Higurashi family and the Shrine that they lived at. Most of that life had been spent silently rolling her eyes behind her grandfather's back, but she had spent too many nights listening to stories about the Sacred Jewel and the mystical powers it held. "I have." _Simple answers._ She willed, still inwardly believing this all to be a dream.

"The Jewel was once protected by a powerful miko who lived in this very village." He continued.

 _Kiyko._ A voice whispered from deep within her heart.

"She was strong and powerful but she was a woman and she fell victim to a woman's greatest weakness; love." Miroku paused for what she assumed was dramatic effect and Kagome did not miss the physical shudder that radiated through Inuyasha's stoic form. "She desired to love and be loved in return and so she decided to make a wish upon the Sacred Jewel, a wish she hoped would make the Jewel blink out of existence entirely. But there were others with far more nefarious plans."

A shiver ran down the length of her spine and instinctively she lifted her arms to wrap around her chest. It was as if she were warding away a spirit and she barely paid any mind to the pink shimmer that had wrapped itself around her as well.

Inuyasha, however, was standing at high alert the moment the barrier erected itself around the small miko. For the first few weeks after her return home from the hospital, Inuyasha would sit at her window sill and watch her sleep. It was on the nights where she grew restless, the nights where she tossed and turned and called out familiar names that the shimmering bubble would find its way around her petite frame. Kaede insisted that the barrier was a product of her repressed memories and as parts of her passed leaked into her dreams, the powers she possessed would begin to manifest themselves more prominently. If she was erecting a barrier while she was awake, maybe Miroku's story was beginning to jog some of her hidden memories. The hanyou could only hope.

"A bandit named Unigumo had been harbored by the miko, cared for and nursed back to a quality of life that none would wish upon their worst enemies. He was alive and he coveted her more dearly than anything he had coveted before. But men like Unigumo lack the capability for true love and his heart was dark and twisted and cruel. When he realized the miko was in love with another he welcomed in the demons of the surrounding forest to give him the power to take the woman by force." Miroku paused, glancing at Inuyasha out of the corner of his eye. He knew reliving this so close to the permanent passing of the priestess would not be easy for his friend.

"He died… didn't he?"

All eyes snapped back to the girl before them. Her head was bowed, her eyes hidden by jet black bangs and the shimmering pink bubble nowhere in sight. "Lady Kagome? Do you remember this story?"

She shook her head, eyes still shadowed by thick locks. "I've dreamt this." She breathed. "The bandit attacked her… And in her rage she attacked her true love." Inuyasha's heart swelled, a sickening sense of hope flooding through him. The barrier first and now she recalled the story of her past life. Maybe this was the start, the moment the doctors had foretold would come before her memory returned. The boy hardly breathed as he waited for her next words.

Miroku's gaze fluttered between the star-crossed lovers. One, who was painfully reliving a past love and the other who was painfully trying to recall her own adventures. "It's a true story, Lady Kagome. The miko sealed her lover to the Sacred Tree believing she had been betrayed."

There had been countless nights she had seen this. So many nights she could feel the fires of the village as huts burned, the terror of the people as they screamed and ran from the boy in red. She stood in a clearing, watching as the two faceless figures chased each other and she could practically taste the woman's rage from where she stood. It wasn't until the arrow pierced the chest of the boy that the screaming began. She would scream and scream and scream until the darkness crawled from the corners of her vision and eclipsed the terrifying sight.

"And then the miko died." Miroku explained, watching as another shiver rushed through Kagome's slender frame.

"And the boy?" Slowly she lifted her gaze; eyes lined with tears she hadn't realized had begun to form. "Did he die?"

"He lived." Inuyasha spoke for the first time. "The arrow didn't kill him; it sealed him for fifty years where he remained stuck to that damn tree. Until you."

"Me?" She breathed so quietly that Inuyasha was sure none of the others would have heard her.

"The miko who died… her name was Kikyo and you are her reincarnation." He explained, his eyes boring holes into her soul as his own heart willed her to remember. "You were pulled through the well in the shrine house by a demon because the Sacred Jewel had been reincarnated inside of you. When the demon ripped it out of your body, the boy was awakened but still sealed to the tree. He couldn't move, couldn't fight. He was useless. Until you released him from the spell Kikyo had placed him under."

"How?" She asked.

"You removed the arrow." Inuyasha explained.

"What happened to the boy?"

"He tried to kill ye." Kaede finally chipped in from the far corner of the hut. "Until we subdued him with the subjugation beads."

"Subjugation beads?" Kagome repeated as her brow furrowed against the haze that blocked her memories. Everything they were saying seemed strange and fantastical, almost impossible to wrap her mind around.

"Hnn." Kaede smiled, recalling fondly the moment Inuyasha had been subdued. "With a simple word ye could bring the boy to his knees. All ye had to do was utter the word sit and the boy would falter to your every whim."

Kagome contemplated this for a long moment, and in her silence Inuyasha feared she might utter the word just to taste it on her lips. But nothing was said; she merely sat there lost in thought. "Then what happened?" She finally breathed.

"The Sacred Jewel was shattered." Miroku began again. "The pieces scattered across the earth and only you could sense them. So you and the boy began your journey to repair the broken Jewel with equally misguided purposes." Inuyasha shot Miroku a glare but the Monk brushed him off with a knowing smile. "The boy sought the Jewel to become a full demon, powerful and feared. You merely wanted to fix your mistake and return home undisturbed."

"Did we fix the Jewel? Is that why I went home and don't remember any of this?" She asked.

"No." Miroku's face fell. "Do you remember the bandit Unigumo I spoke of earlier?" She nodded. "He also sought the Jewel for similar reasons as the boy did. He wanted power and control and to seek revenge on Kikyo and the boy. The miko was reincarnated from parts of your soul and even she was brought into the fighting, determined to rid the world of the demon who had stolen her life. He fought you and the boy and all your companions at every step of the way. Some, like the miko, were lost again. Others continue to fight in your name. In the most recent fight, however… you were injured."

She knew of the injuries. She remembered waking in the hospital in incredible amounts of pain. She remembered the broken bones and the aches and the stitches and the medication. She remembered her mother, who she now knew had been lying to her, telling stories of a misstep and a speeding car. Clearly there were more fantastical stories behind all the scars and bruises and the toned shape to her body. "This is a lot to take in…" She whispered, squeezing her eyes shut and reopening them again. Every face in the room screamed familiarity, but she could not remember a moment she spent with any of them. She was on her feet in a flurry of motion, everyone reaching out to steady her as if she might fall, as if she were fragile. The girl merely held up a hand, signaling she was fine. "I just… I need some air."

"It's dangerous in this world, Lady Kagome. You should stay inside." Miroku urged, worry etched across every face in the room.

"I'll go with her." Inuyasha huffed, holding open the bamboo door for the small girl to slide through. For a moment, no one moved. Kagome stood, staring into the face of the man who had been such a prominent part of her life since the accident. The shrine boy she had formed a crush on, the mysterious man her grandfather had hired after years of insisting that he didn't need anyone in the shrine but someone of Higurashi blood. It all started to make sense. Inuyasha had followed her from this world into the next to make sure that she was okay. He had followed her to bring her back when her memories returned.

It was now that she finally noticed the small white triangles that sat upon the top of his head, the soft white ears that twitched back and forth at every sound as his warm amber eyes pierced into hers in search for something, anything, that resembled recognition. "You're a demon…" She finally whispered. Part of her knew she should be terrified, knew she should be running from him and from all of this. But no fear came. This was the safest she could ever remember feeling and she didn't know why.

"You're afraid." He stated, his ears flattening against his head. This had been his greatest fear from the moment he had had realized he loved her; that one day she would fear him for the demon he had no control over.

"No." She spoke, her eyes narrowed. "But I should be, shouldn't I?"

He shook his head. "I made you a promise a long time ago, I promised to protect you. It doesn't matter if you remember that promise or not, it still stands."

She remained rooted to the spot, aware of every pair of eyes trained expectantly upon her before nodding and sliding through the bamboo door with the hanyou following close behind her.

They remaining companions watched in silent contemplation as the couple disappeared into the village. It was Sango who finally spoke first. "Poor Inuyasha… I couldn't imagine."

Miroku wrapped an arm around her reassuringly, placing a loving kiss to the crown of her head. "She'll remember. She has to remember."

xxX Inuyasha and Kagome Xxx

They walked slowly and in silence, neither acknowledging the others presence as they made their way through the bustling town. Villagers gaped and gawked and whispered behind shielded hands about the return of their lost miko, but no one approached. It was evident that something was brewing behind their glassy gazes.

How badly he wanted to reach out and hold her or at least to take her hand in his and melt away the worry line that had etched into her forehead. This was the woman who had stolen his very existence, the woman who had made him everything that he was. Her suffering was not something he could easily endure.

Neither had made the conscious decision to head in any specific direction, but it wasn't long before they stood before the Sacred Tree. Her eyes lifted, searching its branches for some reasoning that had been long lost to her. "This is where he was sealed, wasn't it?" She finally spoke, taking slow and deliberate steps up onto the roots of the familiar tree.

"Hnn." He acknowledged, watching her with wounded eyes. "For fifty years."

Her hand lifted, gently tracing over the scar left behind by the hanyou. "I can never see his face." She whispered, closing her eyes and trying desperately to summon the memories from her dreams.

"The boy?" He asked, silently wishing he could be the same selfish and brash boy he had always been. He wanted to tell her that he was the boy, that she had fallen in love with him and that they were meant to be together forever. But too much too soon could be damaging, or so Kaede had been warning him since he first returned to the Feudal Era after Kagome's awakening and so he remained silent.

She nodded. "His or the miko's, they're always blocked out and fuzzy. But when she strikes him with the arrow…." Another shiver ran through her, seeming to shudder her entire frame as it made its way through her.

He waited, saying nothing. Part of him feared she would be riding upon the emotions of Kikyo's death and would be grateful that he had been sealed. Part of him feared she would hate the boy.

"It rips through me every time."

His ears perked up, his eyes focused upon the small of her back where the tips of her hair rested against the fabric of her clothing, stark against the soft pastel colors.

"I don't know why. What did he mean to me?" She asked, turning to look at him, slowly lowering herself to sit upon the inviting branches of the familiar tree. "Why does it hurt me when he gets hurt?"

"You loved him." He admitted honestly.

She bit down on her bottom lip, taking a deep breath before patting the branches beside her. Eagerly he took his place beside her. "I did?"

He nodded. "A lot, from what I can gather. You forgave him for all of his mistakes. You taught him to love in return and to embrace the more human part of his soul. You changed him completely."

"Did… did he love me?"

He gazed down upon her, taking in the raw beauty hidden beneath her thick lashes and the confused and hopeful pucker to her soft lips. "Very much. He loved you more than anything else in this world."

"Where is he now?" She finally asked.

 _Right in front of you._ He wanted to scream, pull her into his arms, and kiss away the pucker on her soft lips. But he forced himself to remain composed. "Around," He finally spoke.

"Does he know I love him?"

"Hnn." He smiled sadly.

Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself. "I just… I can't remember anything."

His smile faltered. "You will."

"When?" She snapped, rising to her feet and rocking back upon her heels. "I'm supposed to have this important job. I'm supposed to be helping them," she gestured back to where Kaede's hut sat in the distance. "Find these Jewel shards. I'm supposed to be in love. How useless am I if I can't even remember this place?"

"You almost died, Kagome."

She stopped her fuming, blinking back the raw edge to his admission. Even Inuyasha had not really allowed himself to dwell on the very real fact that Kagome had almost lost her life. Had things been different, had he not been able to take her through the well to the doctors in her time, it was very possible that her life would have been forfeit in that ravine that night. "I…"

He shook his head, stopping the words in her mouth. "No. You listen. You almost died. Nothing else matters in this. Not the jewel. Not any of us. Nothing else matters. Trust me, I know better than anyone how much it sucks that your memories are gone. You completely forgot everything. Every moment. Every word. You don't remember our names, our faces, our friendships. Everything is gone. But _you're still here._ There is not a single one of us, not me or Miroku or Sango or Kouga or any of us who wouldn't gladly blink out of existence just to know you're alive. So stop."

She stood there, eyes wide as she watched him. "I just… I just feel so useless… This is all too much to wrap my head around. Demons and mikos and being in love with someone I've never even met. The world just feels like it's on my shoulders and I can't support the weight."

"That's what we're all here for; to support you." He reached out and placed his hand upon her shoulder, gently turning her to look at him.

"I just need to sit down."

No sooner was the word out of her mouth that the boy plummeted to the earth amid a string of colorful language.

Her eyes widened, her lips parting as she dropped to her knees beside him. "Inuyasha!"

He huffed, lifting himself onto his elbows and glaring daggers at the girl. "Jesus Kagome."

"I don't… I can't… What?"

 _With a simple word ye could bring the boy to his knees. All ye had to do was utter the word sit and the boy would falter to your every whim._ Kaede's words echoed in her mind.

"You're him…" She breathed, blinking back the realization. "You're the boy…. You're…"

The world was spinning around her, the story she had been told spinning through her head. She loved him. He loved her. She couldn't remember him but he could remember her. It made sense though, the boy in the red clothing being pinned to the tree. The beautiful red kimono he wore now as he lay in the dirt. Everything screamed inside her, nothing made sense. Why hadn't he just told her who he was?

As if to add to the chaos raging in her mind and heart, the wind began to whip around them dangerously, stopping only as a boy appeared in the clearing by her side. "Yo muttface."

Kagome's head turned, her eyes wide as they landed upon the tall man draped in furs. His dark black hair pulled back and away from his strong facial features. Too much. Too much was happening. Like in her dreams when the screaming began she could feel the darkness creeping into the edges of her vision, her head feeling heavy as it did.

"You told me you'd tell me the moment she came back." The newcomer practically barked.

"She doesn't remember." Inuyasha huffed, lifting himself to the seated position. He was very aware of Kagome's hands upon his leg as she dug her fingers into his thigh. He thought, for the first moment, it was just shock and confusion. I hindsight, he should have paid more attention to that grip. Should have realized it held more than just confusion.

"What do you mean she doesn't remember?" The newcomer barked back.

"She followed me back. She still doesn't have her memories."

"I…" She piped up as the darkness grew more and more prevalent.

But the bickering boys ignored her. "What do you mean she followed you back? You're getting sloppy!"

"Shut up, you idiot! She's got a lot on her," but he never finished his statement because Kagome's grip on his thigh went slack and her body fell slowly back onto the grass and into unconsciousness.

Both boys yelled her name. Both were at her side, shaking and trying to call her back into consciousness. But Kagome was lost. Lost in a dream she had never seen before of a silver haired boy kissing her in a castle in a lake.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_ I know, I know. A little chaotic there at the end. But I felt like that was the best course of action. Obviously, or at least obvious to me, is that Koga would come running the moment he realized that she was in the Feudal Era again. The moment he caught her scent he would be on his way, but that's just my opinion.

I don't plan on Kagome's memories coming back any time soon so I hope you're ready for a ride.

And yes, the kiss she's dreaming of is the kiss from the movie. I hope you're enjoying so far. Let me know what you think!

I also know this movie was a lot of backstory, but I felt it was important to the future chapters to come.

As always; all my love.

Kaas


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter five:**_

As her senses began to return to her, Kagome found herself praying that her adventures had all been a dream. A lucid fantasy brought about by a teenage crush on the shrine hand combined with bad sushi eaten the night before. Whatever had caused it, there was no way that Kagome had leapt into the well inside the old shrine house. There was no way she had sneakily followed the shrine hand through fields and darkness to an old timey hut. There was no way she had found out he they had lived a Feudal Fairytale and fallen madly in love with each other in a world that she could not remember.

There was no way that Kagome's life could be as magical and beautiful and brilliant as the dream she had just shuffled through.

And then she opened her eyes.

The sun was just beginning to rise, filling the area with a warm orange glow that coated the low hanging leaves on the sacred tree and caught upon its branches as it descended upon a sleepy world. She wondered how had she managed to wander outside of her house in her sleep. Souta had always been the sleepwalker out of the two Higurashi children. Kagome was known for sleeping like the dead.

Her head felt heavy as she lifted her hand to rub the sleep from her eyes, only to whack herself in the face with a soft red fabric draped around her bodice.

Her eyes widened as images from her self proclaimed dream began to flash before her again. The red cloth, seeming to fit him so perfectly.

 _ **Him.**_ The shrine hand she had struggled to hide feelings for who was really a demon she had fallen madly in love with before hurtling down a ravine and loosing two years worth of memories.

Two years of _him._

"Easy there. He'll kill me if you hurt yourself on my watch."

A small shriek slipped past her lips as Kagome's body contorted away from the sound of the new, and still strangely familiar, voice. Her body arched further up the roots, her hands rising in front of her as if she stood a chance of fighting off the stranger.

He scoffed and took a half of a step back from her, raising his own hands to show he meant her no harm. "Figures you don't remember me either, I guess. I'm Kouga of the wolf demon tribe." He beamed in pride at his own introduction, a familiar smirk crossing over his lips as he bowed slightly. Immediately the tension ran from her shoulders, her body relaxing in his presence. Even if her mind could not remember him, her body screamed that she was safe with him around.

"Kouga…" She repeated, the name feeling familiar on her tongue. "I guess I'm causing an awful lot of trouble, aren't I?" She slumped. Inuyasha had mentioned a Kouga in his rant about how everyone would have happily blinked out of existence for her safety. This must have been whom he was speaking of.

"Truth be told, we're all just glad you're alive." He motioned towards the roots beside her, silently asking for her permission to sit beside her. She nodded lightly, scooting slightly to her right so he would have some room. Graciously he lowered himself onto the roots. "It was a nasty fall, Kagome. I didn't think I would see you breathing again. Memories or no, it's just good to see you're okay."

She smiled lithely, adverting her gaze to the bone eaters well across the clearing. Moments of silence passed between them, simply sitting together and enjoying the silence of the forest and the warmth of the rising sun. "Where is Inuyasha?" She finally asked.

Scoffing, Kouga rolled his eyes. "It figures you would ask about him so quickly." He gestured back towards the village with a halfhearted shrug. "He went to let the others know what was happening. We didn't know if we should move you or not so he asked me to guard you before he went. The mutt knows I'm the stronger of the two of us after all." It did not go unnoticed how his chest puffed outwards with pride and his bravado seemed to glow off of Kouga's muscular form in waves.

"Why did you call him a mutt? You used that term when you first arrived. _Yo muttface._ " She repeated, tracing the word in the air before her with her index finger.

Kouga's brow furrowed. "Your brain really is scrambled, huh?" He rocked back against the tree, bracing his palms on the roots behind him and gazing up into the leaves that sheltered their refuge. "Inuyasha is a half-demon. I guess it's just… I don't know… easy? To pick fun of him for it."

"A half-demon?" She repeated, her own brow furrowing in confusion. The existence of demons had been too much for her to wrap her mind around. The existence of half-demons only served to confuse her more.

"Yeah. Like, his father was this great and powerful demon lord who fell in love with a human woman and viola! Half-demon pup." Kouga explained, gesturing wildly for emphasis.

"So… he's weaker than you then?" But even as the words fell from her lips she could feel the inaccuracy in them. They didn't taste right, didn't hold the right weight on her tongue. Somewhere, wherever the Kagome of this time was hidden, she was screaming and stamping her feet and demanding she take back the heinous lie she had muttered.

"Of course he's weaker! I'm the leader of the wolf demon tribe! Full blooded wolf demon on both my mother and my father's side. My strength is unparalleled!"

 _Boy the ego on this one._ She thought, resisting the urge to laugh at his prideful outburst.

"And so humble too."

Both wolf demon and priestess turned their attention to the newest addition to their gathering in the clearing. Sango stood with Hiraikotsu slung over her shoulder, smirking down at the duo, a pouting half-demon behind her with his arms crossed over his chest in agitation.

"I only speak the truth," Kouga chuckled, rising to his full height.

Sango made a flourish of rolling her eyes before turning her attention to the girl still perched at his feet. "How are you feeling, Kagome?"

"Overwhelmed." She admitted honestly.

"But healthy?" Sango asked.

"But healthy." She repeated.

"Good. I thought it might be good for you to get out of here. Get some fresh air. See some of the landscape that made you fall in love with our time period in the first place. I thought our group could take a bit of a pilgrimage. Present company excluded, of course." She smirked, turning her attention to the wolf demon still standing with his chest puffed out in pride.

He deflated only slightly at her rudeness, resolving to a shrug of his shoulders. "I'd better be getting back home anyway." He turned quickly, dropping to a crouch before Kagome and sweeping her hands up in his. "I'll be back for you. When your memories have returned. You're still my woman after all." He winked, stepping back before she could react and disappearing into a vortex of wind.

"SHE AINT YOUR WOMAN!" Inuyasha hollered, stepping out from behind Sango for the first time since they appeared. Regardless of the anger his voice seemed to hold, or the way he stepped forward aggressively after the disappearing wolf demon, Kagome could tell something was off with the boy. His ears were pressed firmly against his head; a sign she knew from her time volunteering at an animal shelter meant that an animal was frightened or unsure of its surroundings.

"His… woman?" Kagome repeated, blinking the confusion away.

"Kouga seems to think he's going to marry you some day," Sango said with a shrug, offering no further explanation than that.

"Heh. Like that will happen." Inuyasha scoffed, crossing his arms over his chest once more.

A few minutes of silence passed between them before Kagome rose to her feet. "So… a pilgrimage?"

Sango brightened instantly. "Yes; to the demon slayers village where I was raised. I have a little house keeping there I need to attend to. I figured it would be good for you to get out and explore a bit more of this world. Maybe something along the way will help you jog your memory."

A soft mewl whispered through the trees as a small cat like creature stepped forward, circling first around Sango's legs and then crossing the distance to circle around Kagome's. The duplicate tails flicked back and forth as she circled Kagome's ankles for a second time.

"This is Kirara," Sango introduced. "She's my constant companion, and yours too! She's taken our little group on some amazing adventures. Normally when we travel you ride on Inuyasha's back," It did not go unnoticed to the priestess how the half-demon's face seemed to twinge red slightly at the mention of their past exchanges. "But I figured with your memories still being lost, you may be more comfortable riding with Kirara."

Kagome's brow furrowed as she crouched down and ran her fingers through the cat's soft fur. "I'm afraid I might squish her if I tried to ride her." Kagome chuckled.

"I don't think she's worried about that." Sango laughed. "Are you Kirara?"

At the mention of her name, Kirara hopped off the roots before her and burst into flames, growing exponentially in size.

Kagome's gasp melted into a laugh as she stumbled forward and ran her fingers through Kirara's soft fur again. The cat demon nuzzled her soft features against Kagome, rocking her body back slightly. "Oh," the girl whispered, fussing over the softness and the kindness of the cat demon. "I think I'm going to love you."

* * *

 _ **Authors Note:**_ Holy Moly I am the worst! I'll be totally honest I'm kind of a grown up now. Scary right? I work full time, go to school full time for my masters, and I'm maintaining a live in relationship and friends. I just completely forgot about fanfiction and havent had the time or the desire to write. BUT. I was rereading some of my stories and I just loved this one so I figured I would make the attempt to pick it back up. I cant promise this is going to be finished any time soon or how often I'll update. But... Here we go again.

I know this chapter was a bit short but its leading up to something big I have in mind for the next chapter.

If you're still with me _AFTER ALL THESE YEARS_ I love you all.

If you're new. I love you too!

Kaas.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter Six:**_

Riding on the back of the transformed cat demon Kirara was unlike anything Kagome had ever experienced before… or at least unlike anything she could _remember_ experiencing before. Every so often Kirara would twist or dive or bend in a way that reminded Kagome of the old wooden rollercoasters she would ride with Souta when they were kids. Each time she would gasp and grasp onto the soft fur that lined Kirara's neck. Each time her gasps would melt into the type of flittering laughter that elated her heart and made her soul soar.

"It's good to see you enjoying yourself, Lady Kagome," Miroku smiled up at her from his place on the ground at Inuyasha's side. The two had chosen to walk, Shippo perched on Miroku's shoulder, while Kagome and Sango rode on Kirara's back. They had been traveling for less than half a day but already Kagome felt freer than she had in years.

"I never could have imagined something like this existed," she mused, closing her eyes and letting the wind blow through her hair. "I mean… used to exist. Existed in the past?" She chuckled nervously. "I guess I'm still not sure what all of this means, exactly."

"It took you quite awhile to get used to it the first time, too." Inuyasha muttered.

Kagome's eyes peaked open, her gaze turning to the silver haired boy with his arms tucked deeply into the sleeves of his haori. He hadn't uttered a word since they left on their journey, but every so often Kagome would catch his gaze on hers.

 _This must be so hard on him._ She thought, brushing her fingers through her long dark hair. Finding out that the person you loved, the person who loved you, had lost all of their memories of their time with you was not an easy cross to bear. It only served to make matters worse that her memory had been gone for so long now with no signs of her ever getting it back. The biggest fear she held in her heart was the longer it took her to get her memories back, the less likely she would get any of them back at all.

But faceless or not, remembering the boy being pinned to the tree was a good sign. Wasn't it?

Slowly his gaze turned, his warm amber pools meeting hers with a look she simply couldn't place. Every time she looked into those eyes she was assaulted with emotions she didn't understand. An aggressive mixture of the affection she knew she was supposed to feel, the confusion and the agitation with herself for not remembering him properly, and the newfound attraction that had grown in her for the shrine hand she had, up until yesterday, thought he was. His features tinted a light red as he caught himself staring, and her staring right back, before he abruptly turned his attention forward and fell silent again.

"So the demon slayer village," Kagome breathed, eager to distract herself from those warm amber eyes and the fluttering of her heart in her chest. "It's where you grew up?"

"Yes," Sango smiled, a lithe movement of her lips that did not quite reach her eyes. "It's also where my family was killed by the same half-demon who tricked Kikyo and Inuyasha into attacking each other."

Kagome's gaze once again flittered to the silver haired boy but he did not look back at her this time. His ears twitched slightly in her direction, but that was the only acknowledgement she received. "How many lives has this one man ruined?"

"Many." Sango whispered sadly. "That's why you chose to remain here, to bring us all together, and to help us reunite the shards of the jewel."

"To save the world?" Kagome asked as her gaze turned to the woman perched behind her.

"Hnn." Sango nodded, her smile a bit more genuine now. "To save the world."

Moments passed like centuries as Kagome relayed the information in her head. So much about who she was, so much about the world she thought she knew, had changed within the span of a sunrise and she wasn't quite sure what she was meant to do with it all.

It seemed logical to remain in the feudal era until she could reclaim the memories she had lost. Or, in the worst case, if she was doomed never to retrieve her memories she could at least stay until she helped them reform the Sacred Jewel.

No more than thirty minutes had passed when she felt it for the first time. It felt like a pang on her heart, a quick needle prick used by the doctors to test blood from a finger. And it was accompanied by a feeling as if she was being pulled slightly off course of their current track.

A shiver ran down her spine and the feeling of being tugged in a different direction disappeared just as quickly as it had come.

"We should stop for lunch!" Shippo grinned, jumping from Miroku's shoulder and pointing to a large tree just slightly off their path. "I'm starving."

"Yes," Sango agreed. "Let's."

xXx One Hour Later xXx

Everything seemed to be so peaceful in this era. There was no light pollution from the big cities, no cars zooming by, no toxic fumes in the air. The trees seemed to grow taller, the grass seemed to grow greener, and the air! Every time she took in a breath, Kagome could practically feel her body singing in joy for the purity of it. Everything about this era was pure and raw and beautiful.

And there it was again.

The same finger prick pang in her heart she had felt an hour ago. The same tug, but this time it was stronger. This time it felt as if it would rip her from her spot on the ground and drag her with it. And this time, it was right behind them.

"Oh!" She exclaimed as her hand rose to her chest and she leapt to her feet. Her body instinctively turned in the direction of the mysterious pull.

"Lady Kagome?" Miroku spoke, his brow furrowing as he watched the odd behavior or their returned companion.

Before she could answer, however, a streak of red flashed before them and she felt herself pushed backwards. She stumbled, only slightly, her eyes widening as the half-demon boy unsheathed his sword. The sword flashed in glowing light before it seemed to grow at least five times its original size in Inuyasha's hand.

"We've got company," he growled as he crouched down in a defensive stance before the priestess. "Kirara, get Kagome out of here."

"Wait. What?" But before she could argue, before she could insist on staying, the cat demon had transformed into its larger form, scooped beneath her legs, and lifted the girl into the air.

From what seemed like miles below them, Kagome could see Inuyasha, Miroku and Sango take their defensive positions. They held their weapons at the ready and aimed towards the trees that had littered the hill behind their picnic.

Just like that, the tugging feeling diminished to next to nothing… and the ugliest creature she had ever seen stepped from the tree line.

 _ **I heard the priestess had died.**_

The words seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere all at once. They echoed in the confines of her mind, causing the young girl to slam her palms down upon her ears in a desperate attempt to mute the reverberating sound.

"Where is that coming from?!" she cried out, her eyes trained on the beast.

The demon was huge. It stood upon two legs at a height of at least eight feet. It's body looked human enough in shape, but the coloring of its skin shimmered a blood red. Its head rounded in the same shape of a human skull but sported no familiar features. Instead, eight yellow eyes with sold black pupils stared back at their group from a mouth less face.

 _ **Imagine my surprise to find her here... With half-breed scum.**_

"Enjoy it while it lasts, bastard, because I'm about to wipe you from the earth," Inuyasha scoffed, readying Tetsusaiga for his first strike.

 _ **You will try.**_

To say that the demon was fast would be an understatement. Both demon and Inuyasha bolted towards each other, disappearing from Kagome's view as they dodged and weaved around passing blows. Every so often a blow would land and send the recipient spiraling backwards into the ground. All that would be left of the attack was a body shaped impression in the earth as they bounded back to attack each other again.

Sango hurled her Hiraikotsu and Miroku offered his own blows time and time again.

 _Useless._ She thought, her body shaking from both fear and adrenaline. Her eyes remained trained on the battle beneath her as her newfound friends fought the creature below. _How can I be so useless!_

Her fingers gripped into Kirara's fur and the cat demon whined quietly. Honestly, Kagome could not be sure if it was her grip or the Kirara's desire to help her companions in battle. Either way, she obeyed the order Inuyasha had given her and kept Kagome high above the danger and out of harms way.

 _ **I've had enough of your trivial games!**_ The demon spoke again. His words once again assaulted her mind and rang in her ears as a blast of what looked like black smoke radiated outwards from his center.

"Miasma! Sango get back!" Miroku leapt out of the way of the billowing black smoke, dragging Sango along behind him by her wrist.

"Damn it!" Inuyasha cursed, covering his face with one sleeve, his eyes squinting against the dark smoke.

 _ **I'll take the priestess and your jewel shards and offer you this in return… A quick and painful death!**_

From the center of the miasma, four appendages rushed forward, each colored the same blood red as the demon's body. Each appendage, with deadly precision, made contact with Inuyasha's body and sent him staggering back from the blow

From her perch above the chaos, Kagome could see it all. She could see the way his sword dropped, transforming back into its small and useless form. She could see the way his body concaved backwards, and the way his blood splattered the ground at his feet. "INUYASHA!"

 _Get the bow!_

The same voice, the voice of the priestess with no face from her dreams, echoed above the sounds of the battle. Her eyes snapped to the bow and arrows hung uselessly over Kirara's haunch. Her body moved without a conscious decision having been made. She lifted the bow, the weight feeling natural in her hands, and notched an arrow to it. With the ease and grace from years of training she could not remember, Kagome leveled the tip of the arrowhead with the biggest of the demon's yellow eyes.

Her heartbeat slowed, her eyes closed, and she exhaled one delicate breath before letting the arrow fly. "Hit the mark!"

The arrow did as it was instructed. It flew through the air, bending only slightly to the will of the wind. Her heart had spoken to the wood of the bow and the rock of the arrowhead, and the feather. It had guided it along its arched pathway until it found itself deeply impaled in the demon's eye socket. The tip of the arrowhead brushed perfectly against the Sacred Jewel Shard buried within.

What seemed like moments, but was only a brief second, passed in silence. No one moved, no one breathed, and then the demon exploded.

She couldn't have described it any other way. Bits and pieces and chunks and smoke exploded outwards into the clearing from the space where the demon had stood only moments before. Its appendages and pieces seemed to disintegrate where they fell and the half-demon boy collapsed to his knees.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_ I have figured it out! I have diagnosed my own condition. Seeing as how I ALMOST went to do it again last night. I still have a couple of open and unfinished stories and instead of moving on to this chapter, I almost fell into trying to finish another. I think one of my big problems is I overload myself with storylines and then I get frustrated and then stop writing all together. SO! While I still can't guarantee I'll ever finish what I start in a timely manner (HAHA IM THE WORST _) I am only going to write this one until its done. When it is finished, then and only then will I pick back up my unfinished Ouran story.

I love you all,

 _Kaas!_


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